ObiWan Kenobi and the Birth of Gods
by General Obi-Wan
Summary: Obi-Wan Kenobi and his temperamental Padawan, Anakin Skywalker, are dispatched on a secret mission which might shed light on the very origin of the Jedi, if they survive...
1. Default Chapter

**_Begin Encrypted Transmission_  
** This story takes place shortly before _Episode II: Attack of the Clones_. It first appeared in Obi-Wan's Livejournal between 4/30/02 and 5/24/05. I hope you enjoy it.**  
_ End Encrypted Transmission_**

******MOONLIGHT **

I awoke from my dreams with a lingering sense of disturbance. For some nights now, members of the Jedi Council and I have felt a burgeoning ripple in the fabric of the Force.

I slid quietly out of bed and found my boots and pants in the sodium glow of the Coruscant night. Stretching out with the Force, I could feel the throbbing life of the frenetic city. I was being silently and wordlessly summoned to the Council chamber. The apartment's artificially-cooled air against my bare chest made me long for the warmth of the bed I had just abandoned. The downside of being a Force-sensitive Jedi Knight in the employ of near-omnipotent masters is that you can never call in sick.

I finished dressing and looked at myself in the mirror. No obvious signs of age. Yet. But I was no longer the young Padawan who had accompanied Qui-Gon Jinn on that fatal diplomatic mission to Naboo ten years ago. I had grown both physically and in my mastery of the Force. I saw in the mirror a young, powerful and dangerous man. Which was it, I wondered, that made me irresistible to the ladies?

A soft moan came from the bed as the girl rolled over and dragged the light Neosilk sheets over her naked body.

"I have to go. I've been summoned," I whispered, standing above her. I felt her consciousness fight its way to the surface of muddled thoughts and then sink once more into the safety of sleep.

Hooking my lightsaber to my belt, I keyed the code for the door-lock and stepped out into the corridor.  
"A Jedi knows not love."

You've got that right.


	2. Reflecting on Water

**Reflecting on Water**

The pleasure liner hurtled through space at mindboggling speed, encountering orbital debris and pebble-sized asteroids which were incinerated on contact by the hull's many deflector shield batteries. And yet despite all of this external chaos, swimming on the Recreation/Spa Level, I experienced no sense of greater movement as I completed my 25th lap.  
Clearing my mind, I allowed the water to cool my body. I stilled myself, content to float peacefully while I went over my mission for the thousandth time.

I had answered the Council's summons and appeared punctually at the Jedi Temple. Master Windu awaited me. Master Yoda was nowhere to be seen, which was a secret relief. Sometimes I find it difficult to understand anything he is saying.  
"Yes, Master Windu," I greeted. He contemplated me in silence for a moment. I took this time to notice the exact boundary between his baldness and the rest of his head which he shaved. Honing my senses, I could see the telltale stubble of one Jedi's vanity.  
"If you are quite finished looking at my head, Obi-Wan Kenobi, I should like to discuss with you a growing situation which has imperiled our noble order, and perhaps even the Republic."  
"Certainly, Master Windu."

Remembering his gentle censure, I blushed, and my mind returned to its present situation. My briefing was but a memory; my mission was still unfolding.  
I felt my Padawan, Anakin, call to me through the Force.

I dove beneath the water's surface and opened my senses to the overwhelming feelings of sound, touch, and sight.  
The pool had been placed on the liner's lowest level and it was one of the ship's more famous features. It had been designed with a transparisteel floor so that one might view the stars and passing planets while enjoying a swim. For me, it provided the short-lived illusion that it was cold and empty space that I was floating in rather than a common liquid medium. I found these thoughts to be strangely calming.  
Harnessing the omnipresent power of the Force, I burst forth from the water's surface and landed wetly on the stone floor surrounding the pool. A protocol droid, shocked by my sudden eruption, cursed in some language of the Outer Rim. I suppose it had never before seen almost 2 meters of pure, uncut, Jedi Knight.

Drawn by the Force, a towel flew to my hand. It was time that I saw what Anakin wanted. Drying off, I walked towards the turbolift. "Size matters not!" I told the protocol droid.

But it is nice to be large, I added to myself silently.


	3. In the Hands

**In the Hands**

From all appearances, Anakin was having another bad dream. He suffered frequent nightmares stemming from his bondage on Tatooine and his perceived abandonment of his mother. He tossed fitfully in his bed.

It did not take long for the Force to confirm my suspicions. Anakin was not really asleep. I sat down on my bed across the cabin. This was not the first time he had tried this. He writhed beneath his sheets, clothed only in the translucent fabric. I examined my fingernails. Ignoring the blatant come-on caused him to push away his sheets all together and moan quietly.

These ridiculous episodes were becoming more and more predictable. It never seemed to occur to Anakin that I might not be attracted to him. Indeed, there is only one man's body I have any interest in exploring and it's my own. Sometimes I wonder exactly what sort of servitude old Watto had him employed in back on Tatooine. He was certainly more sexually aware then most of the other apprentices when he came to the Temple.

I wondered what Qui-Gon would have made of it all. Perhaps he would have encouraged it. Stories were often passed around the corridors of Coruscant about Masters teaching their students more than the way of the Force. Poor Anakin, I thought, you are too unrefined for anyone of taste to enjoy. You would do well to remember that.

I stood up. "I believe you will find that the Jedi Council has generously paid for our use of all the premium channels. I suggest you find something on one of them to alleviate your need. I must now go and check our landing arrangements. I will return in one standard hour."

As I left the cabin I felt his rage seethe behind me. A bit too close to the Dark Side, that one.


	4. Of a Man

**

Of a Man

**

The snow crunched beneath my boots as I dismounted from the Tauntaun. The hut of the "Snow Witch", as she was known to the local population, was half-covered by the recent blizzard. Whisps of smoke poured from an invisible chimney in the roof.

I was tired after our trip and I did not look forward to dealing with a sweaty, unwashed old woman and her senile ramblings. But it was not my choice to make. Anakin's obvious impatience with the situation did give me some small satisfaction, though.

I knocked once on the door and, hearing an answer, pushed my way into the hovel. She was sitting with her back to the fire, dressed in loose fur pelts. It was true her hair was unwashed, but apart from that the Snow Witch departed pleasantly from my expectations.

I felt Anakin's gaze search her dress for the many holes that revealed a youthful golden skin. Her body looked warm, except for her eyes, which were a very cold winter grey.

"What do you want, Jedi?" she asked. I was not surprised that she had guessed our identity. She had strength in the Force but her skills were undirected, untutored. And she must have known that the Temple would have sent someone here, sooner or later.  
"It is our understanding that not long ago, another man and his apprentice came to you seeking information..."  
"Many come to me seeking...information." she interrupted, playing with her long dark hair. I felt a tendril of Force energy extend from her and begin caressing my own aura.  
"Information," I continued, "about an abandoned fortress on a primitive planet."

_The boy must leave._ I was impressed. I had not expected telepathy. I smiled at her and she would not meet my gaze.  
"Anakin, see that the Tauntauns are fed," I ordered.  
"But Master!" he complained. I waved my hand at him and, without taking my eyes off the Witch, I felt for his exit. He was soundless, and had it not been for a rush of frigid air, I might not have known he had left.

"Perhaps now, we can discuss the fortress."  
"After," she whispered.  
I began removing my gloves.  
A Jedi must give of himself wholly. 


	5. Dying of Thirst

**

Dying of Thirst

**

We left the porters outside and entered the abandoned citadel. They did not complain. The natives of the planet had a healthy fear of the place. The ascent to the plateau had taken days. Both Anakin and I were unaccustomed to traveling over such harsh and rocky terrain, and it had been quite exhausting. If not for our Force abilities, I doubt we should reached our goal.

The planet was only known to us as Cerocan Alpha-7. The locals had their own name for it, but much of their language consisted only of released pheromones, consequently we were unable to engage in any serious conversations with them. Also I think our scents were offensive to them.  
Much of the planet's surface was covered in ocean, but this resource had not been adequately cultivated to allow for any real civilization. The planet's population was spread out across many hundreds of islands and subcontinents which dotted the surface of the immense waters. The technological level of the societies we had encountered was certainly more primitive than we were used to. They had not even begun to fly in their own atmosphere, let alone travel in space.

The citadel had obviously been built here by alien hands, but to what purpose we could only guess. It was constructed from a light-colored veined stone. It was defensively located at the top of a plateau with its back to a cliff. The seaward side had experienced some moderate erosion but the rest of the structure was remarkably intact. I could not gauge accurately how long it had been here, but judging by the seemingly symbiotic relationship it had established with the surrounding vegetation, I would have thought a guess of centuries was not far off.

"Do you feel it, master?" Anakin stood a few steps behind me. The citadel was whispering to us. Whether it recognized us as Jedi or existed in a constant state of telepathic communication, I could not tell.  
"Yes."  
We had encountered such phenomena before. Our understanding of the ways of the Force was still greatly limited.  
The citadel's voice was indistinct, but it seemed to be waiting for someone. I doubted it was us.

We entered the main hall. The walls were covered in stone carved reliefs depicting...  
"Something is wrong." Anakin nodded silently in agreement. We both unhooked our lightsabers. I reached out with the Force.

Our porters were terrified.

"I see you've found my...salvation." The voice echoed down the corridor.  
A tall man strode in through the archway. He wore a heavy black long coat and military-style boots. His dark hair was windblown, which made an interesting contrast to his neatly clipped beard. He smiled again, but his eyes betrayed him.

Anakin ignited his lightsaber and was about to rush the stranger. I brought up my hand to signal him to stop, but I saw the stranger had beaten me to it. Anakin lowered his blade towards the floor.  
"I have your porters. Or, to be more exact, my men have them. They will all be killed should anything unpleasant happen to me. Please," he nodded towards Anakin. The lightsaber hissed as it disappeared.  
"I expected company, but not Jedi." His laugh was mirthless. "Please, what may I do for you?"

Anakin was about to speak, but I silenced him with a glance.  
"We are students with a thirst for knowledge. We have come to this place to learn."  
"Indeed." He saw through my dissembling with ease. Of course, when you're evil, it is easiest to assume that when a Jedi Knight pops up on your porch, he is there to kill you.  
"So, you've come to this place to learn its secrets? I will be happy to share them with you...but not yet. Let me introduce myself. I am Korps Kommandant Alric." He clicked his heels smartly.

"The same Alric who ran the murder squads on Giga Secondus?" blurted Anakin.  
I rolled my eyes at my Padawan's ineptitude.  
"No, the Korps Kommandant Alric who sold droids for half-price on Coruscant. Do shut up, Anakin," I whispered.

Alric raised an eyebrow and coughed. "Guards!" Two lines of commandos in full battle gear ran double-time into the room and came to a simultaneous halt. Their guns were pointing at us. 


	6. Is as Near to

**Is as Near To**

"I'm sure if we attacked now, we could slay them all and suffer only 30 percent casualties among the hostages." Anakin still had his lightsaber in his hand. "A Jedi knows when it is right to act, and when it is right to shut the hell up." Alric, who was leading our little group glanced back at me over his shoulder. I gave him a smile.  
"When it is time," I assured my impatient Padawan, "we shall act. We should consider ourselves fortunate. Not only are we able to explore this Citadel, but we now have a guide who seems better informed of its history than ourselves."

The commandos who surrounded us kept a stony silence. Alric signaled for a halt, and consulted a datacard.  
"Ah...the Chamber of Power should be...left, which will be my right, so...here!"  
We followed him into a darkened room.  
"Lights!" two of his mercenaries ran forward and kneeling set up two battery powered field lamps.

The chamber was much larger than I had first assumed, it stretched back a great distance and its walls were frequently interrupted by alcoves and niches. The stone blended flawlessly with steel and antiquated machinery. Everywhere were cylindrical containers, each sending out a myriad of cables from its base, like roots in search of sustenance.

"You two, bring in the generators.  
"I am really so glad you will be here for this, my esteemed Jedi guests. Of course, it is only fitting as this room is part of your history, perhaps the basis of your history. Would you care for me to explain?"

Alric would have made a fine, if annoying, professor somewhere. It was a shame he had instead aligned himself with a corrupt regime and taken over the ruthless operation of the secret police. I assumed his appearance here, with his men, confirmed the rumor that a coup had dislodged the tyrannic government of Giga Secondus.

"If I asked you not to tell us, I doubt you would honor my request."  
"There is no need to be snippy, Master Kenobi."  
"A Jedi is never snippy. Though we are sometimes bored." I stifled a yawn. Beside me, I felt Anakin giggle.

"Well, you'll just have to put up with it, won't you? Remember who is in charge here. You live at my mercy and for my amusement!" Alric's anger swelled in him, and through the Force I could feel the struggle inside him, between rage and rational thought.

"I apologize for my flippancy. Please, continue your explanation."

He collected himself, and striking a pedagogic pose, began his narration.  
"You may have noticed that Cerocan Alpha-7 is almost entirely covered by water. I doubt you bothered running any diagnostic tests on the ocean - too busy polishing your lightsabers." He giggled at his own joke, and when he realized no one was joining him, he resumed. "Had you done your homework instead, you would have found that at the heart of ocean life here is a blue algae. This unique species of algae has over the millennia developed a symbiotic relationship with the organisms you call Midi-Chlorians."

This was indeed surprising news.

"The very same Midi-Chlorians that thrive in your bodies and give you your Jedi abilities are the same as exist on this planet. In fact, were I a gambling man, I would wager that this ocean is the birthplace of the Jedi.  
"After a time, a race, now long dead, must have realized the importance of this symbiosis, because they came to this backward world and established this--" He waved his arms encompassingly. "--a scientific research station!  
"And what was the product of this research?"

"Sea monkeys?" asked Anakin, honestly perplexed.  
"No! These scientists devised a means of merging the Midi-Chlorians with organisms more complex than algae. I can only imagine that they began with fish - indeed, in the deep waters I am told there are Force-sensitive Ichthoids of various sizes!  
"At some point the procedure was refined enough to allow the Midi-Chlorians to be introduced to a humanoid host."

"Thus the Chamber of Power," I concluded for him. It was an impressive thought. Had these containers produced the universe's original Jedi? Was the order to which I devoted my life nothing more than a science experiment?  
The provenance of an item is not as important as what the item does, I decided.  
What Alric was showing us was a footnote to history, nothing more.

"I thought you'd be surprised," he mused.

The guardsman had finally set up the portable generators, and they now began to power them up.  
"Lesson over, Master Kenobi. I'm afraid you must leave us now."  
He pointed to a row of commandos. "Take them to one of the tidal chambers and lock them in. Leave your commlinks on while you go.  
"And I don't need to tell you, Jedi, that if anything untoward happens, I will have all the hostages killed.  
"Take them away!"

"Wouldn't you like to torture us first?" I asked, hoping to buy some time.  
Alric smiled.  
"No. You're not my type." 


	7. Heaven

**Heaven**

"Are we going to die?""No, Anakin. That would be foolish, and would not help us achieve our goal."

I sank back into my meditations.  
We were imprisoned in a large tidal chamber. One of the many that formed the foundation of the Citadel. Our lightsabers had been taken and our wrists were bound behind our backs.  
Now there was only the Force, and waiting...

"I'm sure I could open the lock on the door with the Force, Master! We could be out in a minute!"  
I opened my eyes again, thankful for the darkness surrounding us. Sometimes I fear my facial expressions give too much away.  
"Wait, I can feel the guard on the other side. Maybe I can get him to open the door!"  
"Please, Anakin, calm yourself and think for a moment."  
The Padawan held his tongue, but his mind was in a state of barely-controlled excitement.

"If you were our captors and had imprisoned two Jedi, what would you expect them to do?"  
"Probably to break out of my prison and bitchslap me with a lightsaber."  
"Exactly. And that door behind us would be a captive's most probable means of egress. So?"  
"So...we go through it really fast?"  
"No, we don't go through it at all."

I stood up and stretched my legs. I would have felt more comfortable with more time to meditate, but I suppose we can't have everything we want.

"What are you doing?" Poor Anakin, so lost without his lightsaber.  
"I am going to find where this cave meets the sea and then I will swim out, climb up the mountain, and return to release you."  
"But your hands are tied," he protested.  
"Well, yes, one is at any rate. While you were cursing the guards, I used a small Force trick to make sure that the restraint cuff only sealed around one of my wrists. If you were to ask the commando who sealed it, I'm sure he would remember distinctly the lock 'clicking.'"  
"Wow."  
"Thank you. Stay here."

It was difficult finding the edge of the cave without any light source, but I let my hearing guide me and the gentle sounds of the waves lapping against the stone was more than enough to lead me to the water's edge.  
I practiced my breathing and braced myself for the shock of cold liquid contact.

"You're coming back for me, right?"  
"Of course, Anakin. Have faith."

And hope that the tide doesn't reach you before I do.

The water was freezing. It was night on the surface, and an even deeper black beneath the waves. My Jedi training allowed me to hold my breath while exercising, and it was this ability that I was basing my chances of survival on as I swam through flooded tunnels towards the sea, unsure of direction.  
When I reached the submerged cave mouth, my lungs were burning and my head throbbed. But even as I rose rapidly towards the surface, I paused to examine a large bioluminescent jellyfish as it hovered placidly in the water. It seemed to recognize my presence and for a second I was almost sure that it reached out to me with the Force, but its attention was quickly turned to a smaller cuttlefish which it puffed off in pursuit of.

There are few experiences as pleasurable as taking an unrestricted breath of air after having been deprived of it almost to the point of unconsciousness.  
I spent the next few minutes regulating my air intake and relaxing my body. Looking up at the side of the cliff that I was about to scale, I realized I was nowhere near finished with my ordeal. It was then that my spirit joined my body in the state of exhaustion.

The freezing wind buffeted me as I sought foot and handholds where there were none, and torturously pulled myself up the sheer cliff face. After what seemed like an eternity, my numb fingers came to rest on a man-made ledge, a window. And from the light pouring out from it, I knew the room upon which it looked was occupied.  
I dragged my body onto it, making sure that I made no unnecessary noise.

My calculations had been correct, and I was able to peer undetected into the laboratory known as the Chamber of Power.

Alric was nowhere to be seen, but his men ran between machines frantically. A field medic analyzed data given him by a standard issue computer someone had jury-rigged to the far-older alien technology.

Suddenly, with a hiss, one of the large cylinders split open, releasing gas and steam into the air. I felt him before I saw him. Alric.

He stepped out of the machine, covered in a thin blue liquid. Immediately he turned to a row of storage boxes and extended his hand towards them. Nothing happened, and then the boxes began to shake. When they launched themselves across the room, commandos leapt out of their paths and Alric, laughing, lowered his hand.

"I have become a god!"**  
**


End file.
